Early treatment is any procedure performed before all the permanent teeth have come in. While most patients do not require early treatment nor can even benefit from it, there are some problems that are best treated now than later. For instance, if the upper jaw (palate) is too narrow and the upper teeth are inside the lower teeth (crossbites) rather than out over them, palatal expansion works better at age 9 or 10 than say 12-16 years of age. After that, surgical assistance is too often necessary to accomplish this task. Headgear is another example of a procedure that works better at age 8 1/2 — 9 1/2 than say age 12. About 25% of patients benefit from headgear. These patients’ bite is off, their front teeth stick out because the back teeth are forward also. And then there are cases that are so crowded that they benefit from having some of their primary teeth, and maybe even some of their permanent teeth, removed early so that the remaining permanent teeth can be guided into position prior to braces. These patients may require fixed space maintainers until all the permanent teeth have come in. Braces are usually not part of “early treatment”, and nor does early treatment prevent full treatment.